Laying Low
by xThexFightingxIrishx
Summary: Connor and Murphy MacManus are supposed to be laying low after the events that unfold in Boston (after the events of the first movie). So Doc takes them to stay with a couple family friends. The twins are COMPLETELY against it until they discover that those family friends just so HAPPEN to be young women - twins at that. This story covers their crazy antics and them finding love.
1. Chapter 1

**Well, this is about the MacManus twins trying to lay low after the first movie's events. Doc takes them out to a couple family friends of his and the boys are completely against it – until they discover that those friends just so happen to be young women. This is a story about their ups and downs, their run-arounds, and their crazy antics.**

**Chapter 1:**

_**-=Connor=-**_

Doc pulled his old Buick up in front of a small, two-story house. It was in the middle of nowhere, fields and pastures all around. Sure, it would help to keep the MacManus brothers' location low-key but what the hell would they DO while they were holed up in the house? And who were their hosts? Doc still hadn't told the boys anything about them yet.

Connor and Murphy piled out of the backseat of the car and headed around to the back of the car, reaching into the trunk to grab their bags. Doc was already headed for the front door.

He knocked and knocked but there wasn't an answer.

"Oh great!" Connor cried sarcastically in that thick, Irish brogue, "JUST great! We FINALLY get 'ere, out in da MIDDLE of fuckin' NOWHERE, an' our 'osts aren't even 'ome?"

Murphy sighed from beside him and Doc started around the side of the house, quickly disappearing. Both twins looked at each other and then hurried after him.

"K-K-K-K-Kadarin! K-K-Kellyn!" the old man called.

The boys stole another glance at each other. Those were feminine names. Which meant one thing…

"Betcha dare old women," Murphy told his brother, "Tits saggin' ta da floor."

"Bet dare bald an' butt ugly," Connor agreed with a nod, "Toot less too."

"Ah! THERE ya are," Doc said, walking over to the gate of an arena to stand next to a woman with VERY nice curves.

"I take dat back," Connor commented, a slow, sure smirk curling his lips upward, "Which one ya think dat is, boyo?"

He slapped Murphy across the chest with the back of his hand and Murphy gave a wolfish grin too.

The woman turned her head to look at Doc as he went to stand beside her, giving him a warm, friendly smile and greeting, "Oh! Hi, Doc! I'm sorry. I TOTALLY lost track of time. I've been tryin' ta get Kady ta come inside for the past hour and a half now. She's just DETERMINED ta get this horse ta let her put a halter on it. Been workin' on it ALL day."

Connor took in the woman's features, from what he could see of her at least. She was short, probably just 5'2" but she had a VERY nice figure. She had large breasts, probably a D, and flaring hips. She had a slender waist and long, slender legs. And her ass. Saints preserve him! She had an ass he was just SURE he could fill his big hands and long, slender fingers with. She had long, brown hair pulled up into a high ponytail and he could see that she had high cheekbones and full lips that made him wonder what they would look like wrapped around his cock. JAY-zus Christ!

"Lord's name," he mumbled under his breath, quietly scolding himself.

Her eyes were hazel and she had the prettiest face he'd ever seen with arching brows that matched the color of her hair, long lashes, a cute nose with a little upturn to the end of it, slender cheeks, and a small chin. She was STUNNING.

He looked over at his twin to see him gawking too.

"Stop dat!" he scolded, "Oi 've got dibbs on dat one, brudder."

Murphy pouted and Connor smirked to himself.

"Ya aven't even seen da udder one yet," Murph told him, "Ya really wanna go stakin' claims already, brudder?"

"I don't care," Connor informed him, "I want DAT one."

He nodded his head in the direction of the beautiful young woman leaning against the gate of the arena.

The boys heard a kissing noise and their attention was drawn to the girl in the arena. The horse she was working with took a couple steps closer to her. She slowly worked her hands over its face and pressed kisses to its forehead and down its nose before letting it sniff at the halter.

"Come on now…" she murmured to the horse, her voice soft and quiet, "I'm not gonna hurt ya, big guy. It's all right…"

She slowly started to work the halter up the horse's face and it jerked its head back, giving a neigh of objection.

"EASY…" she coaxed, rubbing its face some more and talking to it gently as she slowly tried to slip the halter onto it again.

Finally, after a few more tries, she had the halter on and had fastened the buckle.

"Yes," she said, grinning from ear to ear before looking over at the other woman and saying, "I got it. I FINALLY got it."

The girl in the arena gently tugged on the halter and the horse balked, sticking all four legs STRAIGHT out and stubbornly refusing to move. She gave another slight tug, making a kissing noise and murmuring to it softly, and it slowly started after her.

She looked down at her horse and rubbed its neck before giving a gentle pat and correcting herself, "WE got it."

"That's right," the girl outside the arena told her, "You two NAILED it."

"That's right. Ya hear that, Zep?" the girl in the arena asked.

"Ooo 's DAT?" Connor heard his twin ask.

He turned his head to find Murphy staring at the girl with the horse.

"That's Kadarin," the girl at the gate informed him, "My twin."

"TWIN?" both Connor and Murphy asked her.

"Yes," Doc told the boys, "Kadarin and Kellyn are t-t-twins, just like you boys. Th-Th-They were born in Ireland, Dublin, just like you boys. But they're p-p-parents brought 'em over here ta da S-S-States when they were just wee bonny l-l-lasses."

Kadarin laughed and asked, "Haven't we always been 'wee bonny lasses', Doc?"

Connor checked her out as she headed over to the gate. She came up to the horse's withers, probably standing at just 5'0". Like her twin, she had long, wavy, brown hair, large breasts, a slender waist, an ample ass, and long, slender legs. She, like her sister, had brown brows that arched above her eyes and long, dark lashes that framed them. She had full lips too. But that was where the comparison stopped. Kadarin's cheeks weren't fat but they were filled out a little more. She had a tan, where Kellyn was pale. She had eyes the color of chocolate instead of hazel like her sister's.

"Oi 'm in love…" Connor heard his brother mumble, making him chuckle.

"Yes," Doc said, "That you have, lass. That you have."

"Here," Kellyn said, "Let me open the gate for her and Zeppelin."

"Zeppelin?" Connor asked.

Kadarin nodded and said, "Yeah. You know. Like Led Zeppelin?"

He chuckled and nodded his head, replying, "Aye. Oi 've 'eard o' 'em."

"When he said you boys were of Irish decent, he wasn't shittin'," Kadarin teased, "Better look out for Kellyn there. She just LOVES a man with an accent. Any guesses as ta which one is her favorite?"

"Oirish?" Connor asked.

"Ding, ding, ding! We have a winner!" Kadarin teased with a smile as she led the horse out of the arena.

She patted him on the neck and said, "Let's get ya back ta the stables, big guy. We'll getcha some water and get this halter off. Then I'll give ya a good brushin' and a massage if you're lucky."

"Ya massage yer 'orse?" Murphy asked Kadarin, quickening his pace to catch up to her.

"Once you've had one of her famous massages you'll be BEGGING for another," Kellyn said.

"Don't tell 'im dat!" Connor told her, "Good Lord 'eel be beggin' 'er ta get one in da ferst place! DEN 'eel be beggin' 'er fer more."

Murphy cast a glare back at him and Connor just laughed.

"Well… You've gotta really impress her ta get a massage," Kellyn informed him.

"Is dat so?" Murphy inquired, gazing down at Kadarin as he walked along beside her.

"That's so," she replied with a nod and a smile.

"Yer a short liddle 'ting, ya know dat?" he teased.

She giggled and said, "Yes. I 'know dat'."

He narrowed his blue-gray eyes at her playfully and she just mimicked his expression.

"So Doc tells me dat me an' Connor are gonna be stayin' wit you lovely ladies fer a while," Murphy hinted.

"Ahh…" she said, "You must be the MacManus brothers. It's a pleasure ta finally meet you boys. Doc's told us SO many funny stories about you two."

"Oh REALLY?" Conner asked, looking at first Kellyn and then Kadarin.

"An' what did 'ee tell ya?" Murphy questioned, looking at Kadarin and then back at Kellyn.

"FUCK! ASS!" Doc exclaimed, making the girls giggle, before he told the boys, "I told 'em why you're hidin'. I told 'em about some of your crazy stories from when ya were piss drunk."

"Oh not DOSE stories, Doc!" Murphy whined.

"Your b-b-brother likes ta make an ASS out of me. So I re-t-t-turned the favor, boys," Doc told them.

The girls laughed and Kadarin led them towards a stable, heading right inside. 9 velvety noses poked out of their stalls and Kadarin headed to an empty stall with the label "Zeppelin" on the stall door. She opened it and let go of the horse's halter. He walked right in and turned around to face her.

Connor, Doc, and Kellyn stood in the aisle. Connor's eyes gazed at each of the horses and then landed on a couple dogs lying in the middle of the aisle, whose heads had lifted from their paws and whose ears were now perked up.

"So ya 'ave dogs and 'orses then?" he asked.

"Oh here we go," Kellyn teased.

"What?" he questioned, looking over at her.

She pointed in the direction of the stall that her twin had disappeared into and he heard the other girl's voice from inside it as she informed him, "Correction, Connor. I'm assumin' you're Connor anyway. We own 10 horses, 5 of which are Quarter Horses, 2 of which are Appaloosas, and 3 of which are Mustangs."

He gave a snort and rolled his eyes and she went on to explain from inside the stall, "I rescue them. I take 'em in when no one else wants 'em. I train 'em to be used for trail horses. Some of them I use for lessons for the children and some are just for my or Kell's use. They have an easy life here."

Connor looked over to Kellyn and she explained, "She makes a living from bartending at night and giving riding lessons or trail rides whenever someone wants 'em."

He nodded and said, "Roight. Gotcha."

"So what were ya doin' out dare?" Murphy asked the horse-wise twin of the two.

"Zeppelin here was abused before he came ta live with us," she told him, "He just needed a gentle hand and some soft murmurs ta convince him that a halter isn't so bad. I haven't gotten him to the riding stage yet of course. But, someday, if he's fit for the job, he'll be a trail horse or even a horse I use to give riding lessons with. He's come QUITE a ways though. I could barely even get him to let me approach him when we first got him back here, much less eat from my hand. Now he's doing a LOT better."

He nodded, leaning against the stall door.

Connor watched his twin, knowing that he was fascinated with the dark-eyed twin. But he was clearly out of his element when it came to the topic of horses. Murphy stuffed his hands into his pockets, a dead giveaway that he was at a loss for words on the topic of discussion.

"If you boys stick around long enough, I could teach ya a thing or two," Kadarin said.

"Really?" Murphy asked, his voice full of hope and enthusiasm.

Connor snickered and Murphy cast him a harsh glare, making him laugh harder and Kellyn joined in, giggling right along with him.

"And da dogs?" Connor asked, "Ya gonna tell me what breed dey are too?"

"Beaucerons, Catahoula Leopard Dogs, and pit bulls," Kadarin told him, "Beaucerons are like bigger German Shepherds with a shorter, finer coat and you know what pit bulls are. Catahoula Leopard Dogs are hunting dogs but we haven't trained 'em ta do that. They keep the place safe around here and go with us on trail rides. We've got a couple of each."

He nodded and he heard Murphy comment as he nodded towards where Kadarin was inside the stall, "I'd say ya must be gettin' da knots out. 'is eyes are closed and 'is 'ead drooped."

She just laughed and said, "The horses love their massages."

"What are ya? A 'orse masseuse?" Connor joked.

"Some say she's a horse whisperer," Kellyn commented from beside him, "You should've SEEN all the time and effort she put into training some of these horses. Some of them aren't broken in yet. Others she's trained from the ground up."

Connor nodded to her and Kadarin stepped out of the stall, closing it behind her after Murphy moved.

"So whadda YOU do?" Connor asked, looking down at Kellyn.

"I give swimming lessons at the local gym," she answered.

"Oh don't be so modest," Kadarin chided as she went to give each horse a kiss on the muzzle and murmur something to them, "Kell was a GREAT swimmer when we were kids. Hell she could've gone to the Olympics. But her coach was a real ass and he did nothing but down her. She decided to quit the team and the coach called, begging our dad ta talk some sense into her. But dad just told him that it was Kell's choice and that he wouldn't make her do anything she didn't want to."

"NO way?!" Connor exclaimed.

"Yeah way," Kadarin informed him with a nod as they all headed out of the stables and she called the dogs with a whistle.

Four more dogs came trotting up, eager to inspect them, sniffing at the boys and eyeing them suspiciously.

"So… You boys hungry?" Kellyn inquired.

"Oi could eat," Murphy and Connor replied in unison

Connor knew she was trying to change the subject. But he thought what he'd learned about her was very intriguing. She could've been an Olympic swimmer and now she was training kids how to swim. And her twin was a horse whisperer. Both did the greater good for others, whether it was people or animals.

"Well… I'd best be goin'," Doc said, "It's a long drive back ta Boston."

"It was so nice ta see ya again, Doc," both girls told him before they pulled him into a hug from either side and pressed a kiss to his cheek.

He just grinned and Connor thought he was a lucky son of a bitch. He stole a glance over at his brother to see that he had a look of envy on his face too. Oh they were going to have fun during their "hide away" that was for DAMN sure.

Doc headed back around the other side of the house but the girls led the boys in through the back door of the house, the dogs following them in. The dogs trotted off in separate directions and the girls headed into the kitchen.

"Why don't you go show the boys to their rooms," Kadarin suggested to Kellyn.

Kellyn just nodded and gestured for the boys to follow her.

"Oh! Wait a sec! Just a quick question first," Kadarin said, stopping them in their tracks, "Do you boys like corned beef hash?"

"Fuck me, lass!" Murphy cried.

Kadarin just giggled and nibbled at her lip, telling him, "Don't tempt me. I'll take that as a yes?"

"Ta da fuckin' or da food?" Murphy inquired, making Connor and Kellyn both laugh.

"Does it really madder, brudder?" Connor teased.

"No. Oi was gonna say yes ta both," Murphy stated.

Everyone laughed and Kadarin pointed a finger at Murphy, telling him, "I like you, ya know that? You've got a witty sense of humor."

"That'll come in handy around here," Kellyn informed the boys, "If ya wanna keep up with the likes of her."

Murphy smirked and Connor just laughed, clapping his brother on the shoulder and tugging a bit to try to get him off balance. But Murphy couldn't be swayed.

"An' what about you, lass?" Connor questioned.

"She's the shyster," Kadarin spoke up.

"Comin' from the one that could make a SAILOR blush?" Kellyn called as she headed up the stairs to show the boys to their rooms.

Connor bit his bottom lip as his eyes fastened to her ass, watching it sway from side to side with each step she took. JAY-zus CHRIST the things he could do to that ass.

"Lord's name," he mumbled quietly, scolding himself.

He heard Murphy chuckling from behind him and glared at him over his shoulder before quickly retuning his attention ahead of him to that ample, swaying, well-rounded, tight-looking ass, nibbling at his bottom lip and slowly leaning forward, mouth open wide.

But Murphy gave him a good shove and he went face first into the step in front of him, cursing, "You fuckin' twat!"

"Excuse me?" Kellyn asked, turning around to find him pushing himself up from the steps with a shade of red tinting his cheeks.

"Connor 'ere 's a liddle clumsy," Murphy lied.

"Ya shoved me, ya big twit! Come 'ere an' I'll knock yer damn teet down yer troat," Connor growled, catching Murphy in a chokehold.

"Da fuck ya will!" Murphy spouted back, giving him a jab in the ribs with his elbow.

"Boy, boys!" Kellyn scolded, "Stop that!"

They both froze, looking up at her. Murphy chose that opportunity to grab Connor by the nipple and give a harsh twist.

"JAY-zus, Mary, and Joseph!" Connor shouted, releasing him and rubbing at his sore nipple.

"Lord's name," Murphy pointed out.

"I fuckin' KNOW," Connor informed him, "What da fuck ya do dat for, ya big dick."

"Yes it 'tis big," Murphy retorted with a smug smirk.

Kellyn rolled her eyes at them and Connor glared at his brother before turning back to see that Kellyn had reached the top of the stairs and was now heading down a hallway. Connor fumbled up the rest of the stairs and hurried after her.

She showed them the two guest rooms and then stated, "You two can fight over which one of you gets which room. I'm sure that won't be a problem, judgin' by the scuffle on the stairs. Now, I'm gonna head back downstairs. And DON'T stare at my ass, Connor."

"But I didn't-," he started to lie.

"Ya did," she said, pointing at him.

Murphy laughed as she headed out the door and Connor growled and swung his arm around. Murphy ducked and darted out the door, heading for the other room and slamming the door closed behind him.

"Oh I'm gonna GET you, Murph!" Connor hollered after him.

"Come in 'ere an' I'll kick yer arse!" Murphy warned him.

"I wish I coulda nipped 'ers," Connor said with a pout, looking down at his shoes.

"I heard that!" Kellyn called as she headed down the stairs.

"Fuck!" he cursed.

He heard her laughing as she trotted down the stairs and a slow, sure smile curled his lips.

_**-=Murphy=-**_

"Food!" Murphy heard Kadarin call from the kitchen downstairs.

He was quick to toss his bag, which he'd half-unpacked down onto the bed and rush over to yank the door open. Just as he heard Connor open his. They both looked at each other and sprinted for the stairs. Unfortunately, Connor's room was closer to the stairs and he beat Murphy but they both pushed and shoved at each other as they rushed down the stairs.

Connor got him back for earlier, shoving him down the last two steps. Murphy landed with a solid THUD at the foot of the stairs on the kitchen linoleum. He heard both girls gasp and then Kadarin began to laugh. He'd had the wind knocked out of him all right.

"Are you okay?" Kellyn asked him.

"He's fine," Kadarin answered for him, "Ya see the shit-eatin' grin on his face?"

"I won!" he announced breathlessly to his twin.

"Oh FUCK me!" Connor grumbled, "Ya liddle shit! I shoved ya! Dat shouldn't count!"

Murphy looked up at Kadarin, still lying on the floor with a big grin on his face, and asked, "Am oi out er safe?"

"Safe," she decided with a nod, "Now get your victorious little ass over here and plant it in one of these chairs."

She gestured with a nod of her head towards the kitchen table and chairs.

"Yes, ma'am!" he cried, pushing himself up even as he hopped to his feet.

He didn't miss the glare Connor passed him across the table as they both took a seat, Connor taking one end of the table and Murphy taking the other while the girls sat opposite of each other between them.

"Went breakfast style for lunch today. Sorry boys," Kadarin apologized.

"'S food," Murphy told her.

"Anythin' 'll do, lass," Connor was quick to chime in.

Both her and Kellyn laughed and she smiled.

"What would you boys like ta drink?" Kellyn asked, "I'll grab the drinks since you fixed the food, Kady."

Murphy smiled. Kady. He liked that little nickname. It was cute.

"Ya got a beer, lass?" Connor inquired.

She laughed and said, "We might be women, MacManus. But that doesn't mean that we don't drink. Corona or Boston Lager?"

"Boston," both boys called in unison.

She laughed and fetched a couple bottles from the fridge. When she returned, Murphy saw that both girls had a glass of something brown sitting in front of them.

"What is dat?" he asked.

"Sweet tea," Kadarin answered.

"EXTRA sweet tea," Kellyn corrected her, making Kadarin laugh.

"It's the only way ta have it," Kadarin insisted.

"Oi might give it a go sometime," Murphy told her with a smile.

She nodded and gestured to the big bowl of hash she'd fixed. There was buttered toast on a plate too. Murphy was quick to reach out to snag a couple slices of toast while Connor went right for the hash.

He started scooping it onto his plate and then stopped, realizing something was different.

"Is dat CORN in dare?" Murphy heard his twin ask.

"Yep," Kadarin replied, "Canned, whole kernel sweet corn. I scrambled some eggs up into it too. I know it's probably different from what you boys are used to but it's DELICIOUS. I promise. I'd never fix somethin' for you boys that I wouldn't eat myself."

They both looked at each other before nodding and Connor dished a bit more onto his plate. Murphy looked at the two jars of jelly sitting on the table. One was black raspberry and the other was apricot. Now which one did he want? He decided on one of each. After all, he'd grabbed two slices.

"Sorry," Kellyn said, "I forgot the cinnamon and sugar for the toast. Do either of you want it?"

"Dat's fine, Kell," Connor told her, "Dare's two 'ole jars o' jelly sittin' RIGHT dare on da table."

She smiled and Murphy set in on applying jelly to both slices of toast he had. He was waiting for Connor to take the first bite of hash to see if he liked it. Connor was a bit pickier than Murphy, although both boys would eat damn near anything.

Both girls shoveled the hash onto their plates and grabbed a slice of toast before digging in heartily. Connor pushed some onto his fork and took a healthy bite, giving a groan of approval.

"Mmm… Dat's good, Kady," Connor complimented, "Best meal I've 'ad in a LONG time."

She laughed and said, "Good. I'm glad ta hear ya like my cooking. Kell and I tend ta take turns."

"She's a real great cook," Kellyn informed the boys, "She makes a MEAN breakfast. Just about anything she fixes then is phenomenal."

Kadarin laughed and added, "Kell's a hell of a good cook too."

"Well oi think we're in fer a real treat den," Connor commented, grinning at both of the girls.

Murphy stuffed a bite of the hash into his mouth and gave a long groan.

"Fuck ME dat's good," he groaned.

Everyone at the table laughed and Kadarin reminded him, "What did I tell ya about that earlier, MacManus?"

He just smirked at her.

The rest of lunch went down without a hitch and Murphy was quick to learn that the O' Shaughnessy sisters, as the boys had learned was their last name, both shared the workload around the house. They took turns with cooking and loading the dishwasher, along with the other chores around the house and the small farm they had. He also learned that they were very close, that they teased around with each other often, like he and Connor did.

The dogs all barked as the group moved to the living room and there was the sound of a car door closing.

Kadarin grinned from ear to ear and said, "I bet that's Bentley."

"Ooo 's Bentley?" Murphy asked, feeling a tinge of jealousy rise up inside of him.

But she didn't answer. She headed over to the door and pulled it open before there was even a knock.

"Ooo 's Bentley?" Murphy repeated, looking over at Kellyn.

"Get down, guys!" Kadarin scolded the dogs as they jumped on a man carrying a young boy up to the doorstep.

"Her son," Kellyn answered with a smile.

Murphy and Connor both jerked their heads around to look at Kellyn, their eyes real wide and their jaws hanging open.

**Well there's another chapter up and waiting for you. And that one has even more crazy MacManus antics. Just hit that magic button and let me know what you think. I'd love to read your mind but I kind of can't. So, unless you tell me what you thought, I'll never know.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Well, if you're back for the second chapter, you must've liked the first one well enough to want more. So I hope that you'll enjoy this one too. There are more antics by the MacManus twins so I hope to get some more laughs in.**

**Chapter 2:**

_**~*Kadarin*~**_

Kadarin saw her one-year-old son in the arms of her recently-ex-husband and a huge smile graced her lips. Her son reached out to her, holding both arms out as his little face scrunched up and he began to fuss. She was quick to reach out and gently ease him from his father's arms.

"Shh… Shh…" she soothed, wrapping one arm underneath his little rump and running her other hand over his buzzed, black hair as she pressed kisses to his little temple, "Hush, baby. It's okay. Mommy's gotcha."

He was quick to stop fussing and snuggle up close to her, turning to bury his face into her shirt and cling to the cotton material of her t-shirt.

"How was your weekend?" Kadarin asked her ex.

He closed the door and sighed, shaking his head.

"It's been about like this," he said, gesturing with one hand to their son, who turned his head to peek at him, "He fussed all the way back ta my new place after I picked him up and he kept askin' for you, lookin' for ya, cryin' for ya."

"Just give it some time," she told him, her voice soft and gentle as she stole a glance down at their son, "He's just not used ta this. You know as well as I do, Gage, that I was the one that watched him during the day while you were workin' on a song or recordin' during the week or playin' at a gig on the weekends. I worked at night, while Kell took care of him. So he saw me 'til I went ta work at night and he was usually asleep by that time. He's used ta me bein' the one ta look after him all the time. He's just gotta get used ta seein' you is all. Give it some time. Things will get better. He'll fall into routine."

He sighed and brought his hand up to run his long, slender fingers through his shaggy, glossy, jet-black hair and nodded to her.

"I know…" he said, "I just… It's hard. I'm not used ta this and neither is he. He needs his mother, Kady. Hell I need you."

She shook her head and told him, "No, Gage. That won't work and you know it."

He opened his mouth to say something else and they both heard someone clear their throat. His head jerked around and his eyes grew wide.

"I don't tink we've met yet," Murphy said, passing him a glare.

She noticed that Connor was doing the same.

"Oh! I didn't realize that you had company or I could've brought him back at a different time," Gage was quick to tell Kady.

"It's okay," she replied, not wanting to make anything into a big deal, "These are old friends of mine."

"Is that right?" Gage asked, eyeing both of the men and then looking back to Kadarin, "If they're old friends, why didn't I ever get ta meet 'em?"

"Yeah. Why didn't we ever get ta meet 'im?" Murphy asked her.

Kadarin closed her eyes and tipped her head back, gazing up at the ceiling when her eyes finally opened.

"We've known these boys since we were young," Kellyn was quick to jump in to defend her sister.

"Yeah. We've known da girls since we were in diapers," Connor agreed.

"Diapers?" Kadarin questioned, cocking one brow at him.

"Aye. Diapers. Don't ya remember, lass? We were just toddlin' around, ya know?" Connor inquired.

She smiled and said, "Yeah! That's right! I remember. I just didn't know we'd known each other that long I guess. God it's been YEARS. And Danny there had a cowlick from hell."

She gestured to Murphy with one hand and Connor practically cackled with laughter.

"Christ ee did! Ma used ta spit into 'er 'and and try ta rub it down. Never fuckin' worked dough," Connor chimed in.

"I did fuckin' not!" Murphy protested.

"Did too!" Connor said, "And you've STILL got one, DANNY BOY."

"Do not!" Murphy objected, raising a hand to brush it over his hair just to make sure that none of his hair was sticking up.

"Kady was always wearin' dose pigtails," Connor went on.

Kadarin smiled and nodded at him, telling him, "I was a cute kid, for your information."

"Yeah ya were," Murphy agreed, "All da boys fought over ya. Kady, play wit me. Kady, come color wit me. Kady, come sit next ta me. God I don't know 'ow many boys I socked in da nose. You were MY girl."

Gage looked at Kadarin then and she laughed, telling him, "If I remember correctly, I wasn't your ONLY girl, Danny. You had Missy Clein after ya too. You remember her? She used ta try ta sneak under the slide with ya and kiss ya. She told EVERYBODY 'I kissed Danny O' Laughlin. I'm HIS girl now'."

"Was fuckin' not," he said with a shudder, "Dat girl was POSSESSED!"

Both sets of twins laughed and Murphy insisted, "I mean it! She was possessed! She'd chase me around da damn playground for 'OURS. She used ta make up all dees stories about bein' my girl and kissin' me and she tried ta 'old my damn 'and ALL da time. Drove me fuckin' NUTS."

They all laughed again and Connor slapped his knee, his face growing red as he laughed uproariously and crowed, "Oh! Dat was just puppy love, Danny, boyo."

"Puppy love, my arse! She nearly tackled me ta the floor and attacked me wit kisses one day! And where were you? Off kissin' 'er sister!"

Kadarin and Kellyn giggled and said, "Ah yes."

"Dace was always a ladies' man," Kadarin stated.

"You bet your arse I was," Connor chimed in, "And I 'ad my eye on Kell dare."

He pointed to her and Kadarin watched her sister blush, both girls giggling.

"Ladies' man, my arse," Murphy said with a snort, "Da girls 'ATED Dace."

"Speak for yourself!" Connor retorted, "YOU were da one all the girls 'ated. Poor Kady over dare felt SORRY for ya, brudder. Ya were a damn DWARF!"

Murphy gasped and the girls' eyes grew wide.

"I was fuckin' not!" Murphy growled.

"Were too!" Connor objected.

"Was not!" Murphy ground out of clenched teeth.

"Were too! Ya didn't 'it your damn growt spurt 'til ya were in 'igh school, ya little midget!" Connor replied with a smug smirk.

"It's not my fault you were an overgrown sasquatch!" Murphy snarled.

"I tot da girls found it quite appealin'," Connor boasted, puffing his chest out.

Kadarin looked at her sister and they both gave each other a look that said, "This is gonna lead to trouble."

Then their eyes found the boys again.

"Ya were not! Ya were ugly and overgrown!" Murphy spouted off.

"Was not!" Connor defended himself before giving a sly grin and adding, "Ya know what dey say don't ya? Da first born twins are always da bigger ones."

Murphy gasped and dove for him.

"Boys, boys!" Kellyn was quick to scold, hurrying over towards the couch.

"Don't touch 'em. Ya might get caught in the crossfire!" Kadarin warned her sister.

Then she looked down at Bentley and told her son, "Cover your ears, baby. Tight."

He nodded and put his little hands over his ears before Kadarin shouted, "ENOUGH!"

Both boys froze, Connor's hand in Murphy's hair and Murphy's hand fisted in Connor's shirt while the other one was pulled back to take a swing. They both gave a sheepish grin, knowing they'd been caught and that, by the stern look on Kadarin's face that she wasn't happy about their little spat at ALL.

"I can see why I never met 'em now…" Gage mumbled.

"What was dat?" Connor asked even as Murphy climbed off of him and got to his feet.

"What'd he fuckin' say?" Murphy asked, pointing at Gage even as he looked at Kadarin.

"Okay. Gage, thanks for dropping Bentley off. I'll see you again in two weeks so you can pick him up. Call me in advance and let me know what time works for you," Kadarin informed her ex.

He nodded to her and was quick to duck out of the house.

"Well thanks for tryin' ta help make it believable boys but I think that worked a little TOO well, don't you?" Kadarin chided, glaring at them.

"Oh come on, Kady," Murphy pointed out, gesturing to the door, "Da guy's a fuckin' tool anyway. What da fuck ya doin' with a cad like dat?"

She gasped, her head jerking back and Kellyn brought a hand to her face, shaking her head. Kadarin cast Murphy a harsh glare and stormed out of the room with her son on her hip.

"Come on, baby. Let's get you somethin' ta eat. Mommy made, hash. You want some of that?" she asked her son.

"Nummy," the boy answered with a nod, "I has."

"That's right, sweetie. Mommy's gonna fix you some. Did daddy feed you?" she questioned.

"No. I hunry, mommy. I hunny," the boy told her, "No luntch."

"All right. Don't you worry, honey. We'll fill that tummy," she reassured the boy, heading into the kitchen.

She was glad she hadn't put the hash into the fridge yet. She'd been letting it cool off in a plastic container. But she dumped some onto a small plate and grabbed him a little plastic kiddie fork and went over to pull up his high chair and sit him in it. She placed the plate of hash in front of him and he dug in heartily.

"What do you want ta drink, Bentley?" she questioned.

"JUUUUICE!" he cried with a big grin.

She laughed and nodded, telling him, "All right. Mommy's gonna get it. You want white grape juice or purple grape juice or apple juice or orange juice or fruit punch?"

"Appa JUUUUICE," he said.

She giggled some more and replied, "All right. I'll getcha some, buddy."

"Umm… Nummy, mommy," he hummed in appreciation between bites.

"Well I'm glad you like it, Bent," she stated.

She poured him a sippy cup full of apple juice and carried it over to set it on his tray next to his plate.

He set his fork down and made a quick grab for it. She smiled and sat down at the table beside him, pulling up a chair next to his high chair. She reached out to run a hand over his buzzed hair and cupped the side of his face gently in her hand, rubbing her thumb back and forth over it as she gave him a loving gaze.

"I missed you, baby," she informed him.

"I miss oo too, mommy," the boy told her with a big pout, "I miss oo LOTS."

"It's all right, sweetie. Mommy's right here," she assured him, leaning over to press a kiss to his forehead.

When she pulled back, she saw that his little eyes were closed and there was a big smile on his face. His eyes slowly fluttered open and big, bright blue eyes gazed up at her with all the love in the world.

"I wuv oo, mommy," the boy said.

Tears filled her eyes as she gave a smile that stretched from ear to ear and she replied, "I love you too, baby. Mommy loves you SO much!"

She was quick to wipe away her tears, not wanting her son to think that she was sad, and reminded him, "You'd better eat, honey, or your hash will get cold."

"I eat it, mommy," he stated with a grin.

_**-=Murphy=-**_

Murphy had watched Kadarin with her son all day. He'd learned many things from observing her and seeing how she interacted with the boy. He'd discovered that she was a very attentive mother, always quick to comfort the boy or get whatever it was that he wanted. She was gentle when she scolded him and she explained WHY he couldn't do something. She was careful with him but she was very loving and tender. She was playful and energetic when it came time to play. She lavished the boy with kisses or tickled him. She might have been a real young mother but she was certainly one of the best mothers Murphy MacManus had ever seen. And, from the sounds of it, she'd taken care of the boy all by herself, with some help from Kellyn of course.

He'd asked Kellyn about what had happened between Kadarin and her ex and Kellyn had glared, mumbling something about "the dirty, cheating son of a bitch" but hadn't told him any more about the matter. He knew she wouldn't either. If he wanted to know the full scoop, he'd have to ask Kadarin. But he knew that he wouldn't go blabbing Connor's business either. It wasn't proper etiquette for siblings not to do that.

So he waited until Kadarin had laid the boy down to bed that night and he headed down to the kitchen, having heard her tell Kellyn that she was going to grab a snack before heading to bed to read for a bit. He was sitting at the table , nursing a beer, when she came trotting down the stairs. She froze, halfway down, seeing him sitting there.

"I know what you want," she told him.

His brows rose and he asked, "Oh REALLY? And just 'ow do ya know dat? What is it I want so bad?"

She narrowed her eyes at him for mocking her and he found himself apologizing, saying, "I'm sorry, Kady. I was just jestin'. I didn't mean nuttin' by it."

She sighed and continued down the stairs, coming into the kitchen and heading over to a cabinet on the other side of the counter from where he was sitting to pull a long, rectangular, plastic, Tupperware container out and pull the lid off.

She picked a couple of something out of it and grabbed a saucer, placing them onto it. Then she repeated the process. She carried one saucer over to him and handed it to him. He found that they were homemade chocolate chip cookies.

"Hope you don't mind walnuts," she told him.

"Not at all. You like nuts?" he asked, his voice teasing and light.

She actually gave a little feminine snort of laughter shook her head at him before telling him, "Only if I really like the guy. They're pretty salty and I can only fit one in my mouth at a time. You oughta see the guy squirm though."

His blue-gray eyes grew real wide and she winked at him before going to fix herself half a glass of milk and pour some chocolate syrup into it.

"Ahh… Cookies and milk," he said, nodding his head.

"I'm not a fan of plain milk," she commented absentmindedly as she twisted the lid back onto the gallon of milk and set it back into the fridge, "Never really was to be honest. Mom said I was lactose intolerant for a while when I was little. I was like 3 then I guess. But I drink milk at least once a day now. Gotta keep up on the calcium. I drank it liked a damn fish drinks water when I was pregnant with Bentley. And yes. I know what you wanna know. You wanna know what happened between Gage and I, why I was with him and why we broke up."

He just nodded. She already knew what he wanted to know. There was no point in saying it.

"Not that it's any of your business," she started, "But it was like he was gone even when he was here anyway. Gage Sorenson, the rock star. He was always on the road, always touring, always in the studio. And when he wasn't doin' that, he was playin' gigs in local bars around here. When we first started out… God I felt like I was on top of the world. Gage Sorenson, lead singer of the Black Rose Rebellion. Hell EVERY girl hated me or wanted to be me. I don't know why he ever picked me to settle down with. But the newness of relationship was quick to wear off. I think we lasted 3 years and then he proposed to me. 2 more after that and I'd had Bentley. A year after Bentley was born, we were filing for a divorce. Hell he was blindsided. But I saw it coming from a mile away. Even when he was here, he wasn't really HERE, you know? He was always busy, workin' on a song or practicin' with the boys. He never wanted to spend any time with me or play with Bentley. And I was the one that was takin' care of OUR baby during the days, workin' at night. My sister watched him while I was at work. Hell the boy barely even KNEW his father. But I wanted to give him the chance to have visitations with his son, to at least get to SEE the boy. I just… That was no life for my son. He deserved better. And if his own father couldn't be there for him, by damn I'll find a man that CAN. I owe that to him. NO child should ever have to grow up without both parents, whether they're biological or not."

Murphy nodded in agreement. He and Connor had grown up without their pa and he'd seen how hard it had been on their ma to raise them by herself. Hell she wasn't raising just one child either. She'd had TWINS, making matters even WORSE for her.

"And, while Bentley was the first thing on my mind, it wasn't just him that was suffering from lack of affection. And I wasn't stupid. I could smell the cheap perfume when he came home from playin' gigs. He stopped callin' ta tell me he'd be late. We BOTH knew that he'd stopped bein' faithful when I was pregnant with Bentley. I thought maybe it was just a phase he was going through, that he found me unattractive when I was pregnant. And I could understand that. But it continued even after I'd gained my 'rockin' curves' back. So I knew that it wasn't the fact that I was pregnant. I just wasn't enough for him. Either that or he just wanted everything, not just me. So I came home with the papers one night and set them in front of him, while he was working on a song. I sat it down in front of him, on top of his papers. And he didn't read them right away, just thought it was another story I was workin' on. 'Right now I'm busy, baby. But I'll look at it later. I promise.' He was ALWAYS makin' promises and he never kept any of 'em. Anything that ended in 'I promise' could be disregarded. I learned that early on in our relationship. But I just pointed to the papers and said, 'I saw a lawyer today.' THAT got his attention. He read EVERY fuckin' line then. And he seemed COMPLETELY blindsided, the dirty, cheating son of a bitch," she growled quietly.

"Your sister used dat line too. In fact, dat was all I got out of 'er about da subject," Murphy informed her, "Why didn't ya just turn ta someone else?"

She jerked her head back as if she'd been slapped and pointed out, "Two wrongs, DON'T make a right, Murphy. They never have and they never will. And I'm not like all those women that get cheated on and go out and return the fucking favor. No. I wanted to get my divorce, get custody of my son – which was REALLY easy – , and get on my feet before I started lookin' for a father figure for Bentley that would be a good match for me too. My son has ALWAYS been my first priority. But that doesn't mean that I don't crave attention too. You think I don't miss a man's touch? That I don't like ta be kissed or held? I love that boy to DEATH and there is NOTHING in this world that I would ever trade him for, not a SINGLE time that I had wished I'd never had him, but do you have ANY idea how hard it is to get a date as a single mother? You tell a guy my age that you're a single mother and they run, practically SCREAMING, for the goddamn hills. No man wants the burden of a child, ESPECIALLY not one that's not even HIS."

He nodded and said, "Well 'ee was STUPID, Kady. Stupid as FUCK. If he couldn't see dat you were a good girl, dat you were woman enough ta 'andle raisin' 'IS son all by yourself…"

He shook his head and added, "And ta top it all off, ya were FAITFUL to 'im. Da BASTARD didn't deserve it, Kady. Not a DAMN second of it. Oi 've SEEN you wit da 'orses. Oi 've SEEN you wit your son. And I can tell ya dis. Oi 've NEVER seen someone be so gentle, so loving, so patient. Dat man must've been fuckin' BLIND ta not see dat, ta not cherish you and worship da ground ya walked on. It wasn't you, Kady. It was 'im. You mark my words. Don't ya go beatin' yourself up about dis. Dis was NOT your fault. You did EVERYTING ya could've. You be PROUD o' dat."

She nodded, not meeting his gaze, as she looked down at her hands, which were wrapped around what remained of her glass of chocolate milk.

"ANY man dat ever gets a chance wit ya had bedder tank dare lucky stars, Kadarin. 'Cuz you're a FINE catch," he insisted before getting up from the table and tossing his empty beer bottle into the trash.

Then he headed up the stairs and down the hall to his room, giving her time to think his words over.

**Well I hope you enjoyed the chapter. So hit me with those reviews and let me know what ya think. :D**


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